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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences > Invertebrates > Insects (entomology)
Butterflies immediately catch our attention with their beautiful
wing patterns and colors. They exemplify metamorphosis with the
creeping caterpillar transforming into a soaring butterfly. They
have also come to be creatures of science, revealing much to
biologists about evolution and the ecological processes and
historical accidents that have generated the diversity of life on
Earth.In Butterflies, Dick Vane-Wright provides a complete
introduction to the biology, natural history, and classification of
this major group. Using examples from around the world and
eye-catching photographs, he explores what it means to be a
butterfly, from how the yellow birdwing finds a mate to why the
African gaudy commodores produce adults of different colors.
Bee hives. They might look at first glance like seething anarchy,
but the bees know exactly what they are doing. With astounding
skill, precise expertise and impressive teamwork they carry out
their plans. The Honey Factory plunges the reader into the life of
a colony of bees and takes them on a tour of their 'factory'. This
is a world inhabited by headstrong individuals with clever methods
and an amazing set of rules. Why aren't male bees allowed to stay
in their colony just as it is getting cosy? What lies behind the
sexual excesses of a young queen bee? And how do all the bees in a
hive come to collective decisions? The Honey Factory answers these
questions and more. Combining the most fascinating discoveries and
greatest secrets in bee research, it ultimately shows readers why
bees are so precious and why humans and bees cannot survive without
each other.
Bees, both commercially managed honey bees and wild bees, play an
important role in global food production. In the United States
alone, the value of insect pollination to U.S. agricultural
production is estimated at $16 billion annually, of which about
three-fourths is attributable to honey bees. Worldwide, the
contribution of bees and other insects to global crop production
for human food is valued at about $190 billion. Given the
importance of bees and other types of pollinators to food
production, many have expressed concern about whether a pollinator
crisis has been occurring in recent decades. Worldwide reports
indicate that populations of both managed honey bees and native
bees have been declining, with colony losses in some cases
described as severe or unusual. In Europe, managed honey bee colony
numbers have been declining since the mid-1960s, and individual
beekeepers have reported unusual weakening and mortality in
colonies, particularly during the period spanning winter through
spring. According to the United Nations, many insect pollinator
species may be becoming rarer, causing some to question whether
this is a sign of an overall global biodiversity decline. This book
examines selected U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies
bee-related monitoring, research and outreach, as well as
conservation efforts, and The Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) efforts to protect bees through its regulation of pesticides.
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